The 7 Advantages of Trading Kirk Cousins
The Super Bowl is over, ending in a triumph for a quarterback statistically akin to Kirk Cousins. Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams outlasted the young Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 in Super Bowl LVI.
Stafford was traded to Los Angeles one year ago for a slew of draft picks and Jared Goff.
If new Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is not enamored with Cousins, the quarterback could encounter a similar fate, joining a team in the quest for a Super Bowl while the Vikings draft their quarterback of the future in the 2022 or 2023 NFL Draft.
This article does not endorse a Cousins trade but will instead uplift the advantages of the transaction if Adofo-Mensah pulls the trigger.
These are the seven advantages of trading Cousins this offseason.
1. A Fresh Start
The Vikings hired a new general manager and head coach — why not fire up the change-oriented trifecta? Everything feels new already; don’t stop halfway.
That’s the mindset behind a fresh start. Sundays next autumn will not be the same as-is with Mike Zimmer and Rick Spielman no longer linked to the organization. Those two symbolized a downward embrace of mediocrity amid the last two seasons — and Cousins was the QB1.
If you’re a Vikings fan who wants the team to be absolutely different in 2022, then Cousins can’t and shouldn’t be on the team.
2. The Money
When “they” write the story on Cousins in Minnesota — whether it lasts one more month or three more years — the divisive vibes he brought toward fans’ opinion will always be traced back to money.
Cousins is the eighth-highest-paid quarterback in the NFL per average annual salary. When a season is over, he’s typically around the 11th-best quarterback in general. That three-spot variance drives the Cousins truthers bonkers.
When people hear “$33 million per season” or “$45 million cap hit in 2022” (his cap hit in 2020 was $21 million — now is just the time to pay the piper), they want Cousins to play like Patrick Mahomes. To them, the $33 million Cousins earns annually isn’t “too far off” the $45 million Mahomes will take home per year starting next season. So, Cousins must play at an elite level to balance the detractors’ resentments. And Cousins really only plays elite about 4-6 games per season — usually in October and November.
The Vikings can start fresh by trading Cousins’ $35 million salary (the team will swallow $10 million in dead cap cash) elsewhere, enabling Minnesota to sign other free agents.
3. The Ceiling
Listen, the Vikings have tried valiantly to make the Cousins experiment work. Thrice in four attempts, the franchise missed the postseason altogether. It’s unacceptable for a team just three quarters away from a home Super Bowl in 2017.
Minnesota did win a nifty playoff game in 2019, toppling the New Orleans Saints on the road in stunning fashion.
When it was all said and done, maybe that was the ceiling for the Cousins-Vikings.
4. Fascination with QBs on Rookie Deals
All the craze in the NFL involves drafting the next hottest thing at QB1, fortifying a roster around the man for five years “on the cheap.” The Cincinnati Bengals are doing it right now. The Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills are wrapping up the trend, respectively.
Rookie quarterbacks are guaranteed to be cheap, so organizations should strike while the iron is hot like the Seattle Seahawks did in 2013.
Trading Cousins essentially effectuates the QB-on-a-rookie-deal utopian idea promoted by many.
5. High Return for Trade Value
Shield your eyes for this one — Cousins had a marvelous 2021 season. He tossed 33 touchdowns to just seven interceptions. You’re a fool if you think that isn’t good enough for the Vikings. Maybe Stafford should retire, and Cousins can go replicate the 2021 Rams — with the 2022 Rams.
Pro Football Focus called Cousins the sixth-best quarterback in the world during 20214. Are they lying? Apparently, according to some Cousins naysayers.
Because Cousins was tremendous for most of 2021 — he did falter in December — some team will believe it can win with Cousins. Thirty-three paydirts and only seven picks is a mouthwatering statline for general managers. For some godforsaken reason, it isn’t good enough for the Minnesota Vikings. Figure that one out.
Oh, and the usual argument against Cousins is “he does a lot of his damage in garbage time.” The only game at all in 2022 (with Cousins at QB1) that had any semblance of garbage time was against the — you guessed it — Rams late in the season.
Cousins was productive in a season when the Vikings tied the NFL record for most games decided by eight or fewer points. The garbage time rebuttal can be laid to rest. RIP.
Regardless, because Cousins’ numbers were peachy in 2021, his return trade value should be pretty high this offseason — probably at the Carson Wentz (from 2021) level.
6. Unite the Fanbase
Cousins causes division among fans. Write that down in purple blood.
Some believe he’s a terrific quarterback. Others believe Cousins is a fraud. Trading him, once and for all, will end the discussion. Fans can rally around the new guy, whoever it may be.
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Of course, the people who like Cousins will be downtrodden if he’s sent packing, but they’ll get over it if they’re true die-hard fans of the team. If Adofo-Mensah shops-and-sells Cousins, it’ll be a new day in Minnesota, sans Cousins debates. Hallelujah.
7. The Continual OL Quandary
Since the departure of Bryant McKinnie and Steven Hutchinson, the Vikings offensive line has not protected quarterbacks very well. Every season, the general management and coaching staff devise a new plan to fix it — and the strategy flops.
Cousins is a quintessential pocket passer. Because his trenches are often leaky, he should want the hell out of Minnesota. Alas, he does not.
Do we think the new regime will fix the offensive line? Maybe. However, if they do not, just send Cousins to a place that recognizes his reliance on an optimal offensive line to unleash his full skill set. Enough of this small-ball OL stuff the Vikings implement. It doesn’t work.
If you’re cynical enough to predict the Vikings will not finally fix the pass protection with the new leadership faces, just trade Cousins, and find a quarterback who is more nimble in the pocket.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
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